The boards come down on last historic Milwaukee livery stable

Mark Lien demonstrates the elevator that was used to lift carriages and hearses to the second level of a circa 1893 livery stable near S. 8th St. and W. Greenfield Ave. in Milwaukee, Wis. Lien is dismantling the two-story wooden structure and will reconstruct it in Sussex and use it for a wood shop. Credit: Mark Hoffman

After 119 years of sturdily standing near the corner of S. 8th St. and W. Greenfield Ave., as time and transportation styles passed it by, the walls are coming down on what's considered the last livery stable in Milwaukee designed by an architect.

Now located in the center of an urban south side neighborhood, the two-story wooden structure was on the National Register of Historic Places as an "example of a 19th century commercial livery stable in the day . . . important to the architectural and social history of the near south side and the city."

The stable, designed by prominent Milwaukee architects Herman Paul Schnetzky and Eugene R. Liebert, was especially designed to house horses and carriages used for various businesses, primarily turn-of-the-century funeral processions.

In the basement where up to 20 horses were once stabled, the posts still bear the stenciled names of "Dolly," "Barney," "Kate No. 1" and "Irish."

In May 2011, a story in the Journal Sentinel described the history and story of the stable, which faced a raze order by the city.

It needed a new roof, some of the beams were defective and there were other building problems all too costly for its owner La Causa Inc., a nonprofit, to fix.

"After the story ran, there was a whirlwind of activity with so many approaching us with an interest in saving the barn," said George Torres, president and CEO of La Causa.

More than a half-dozen parties voiced interest in moving the barn or taking it down and reconstructing it elsewhere on the south side and turning it into a restaurant, a general store or some other commercial venture, he said.

"Many really wanted to save that piece of history," he added. "There were a lot of great ideas."

But as time wore on, the ideas and plans fell through, he said.

The clock kept ticking.

Many asked for more time to try to find a solution, said Paul Jakubovich, of the city's historic preservation office.

"Lots of people really wanted to make this work," he said.

But in a troubled economy, saving the stable and keeping it in the city proved too difficult, he said.

Finally, Mark Lien, who lives in Lisbon and deals in wood and makes furniture, acquired the stable for $1.

Since August, he's been working to dismantle the structure beam by beam and hauling the beams, timbers and other parts away. He eventually plans to reconstruct the barn and use it as a woodworking shop and for wood storage, he said

Until he finds the land he needs in western Waukesha County, he's storing the stable wood in a barn in Sussex.

"I'm into historical things," he said. "I think the character of the building is really cool. You don't see something like this very often, especially the way it's made."

The walls are made of 2-by-6 studs that go from the foundation to the roof, he said. The wood is mostly white pine.

"It's one of a kind in Milwaukee," Jakubovich said.

"We realized it would be tough from the beginning to make it work and keep it in Milwaukee, but we wanted to give it a go," he said. "You don't win them all."

After the stable comes down, La Causa, which had been using the barn for storage, will use the land for a modern transportation-related use.

It will turn the stable land into a parking lot.

About Georgia Pabst

Georgia Pabst is a general assignment reporter whose areas of coverage include Milwaukee County government, the Latino community, non-profits and neighborhoods.